When you join Facebook you will be presented with multiple options for finding friends. If you have friends that aren't already on Facebook, you can send them a personal invitation to join Facebook, and become your friend.

After adding your friends on Facebook, you can engage and interact with them through your Facebook profile. Do note that some users do not make themselves searchable on Facebook, so you may not be able to find them.The methods below can help you find the people you are looking for.

How to find friends on Facebook using the Search Bar

Navigate to the Facebook search bar which is on the upper left hand corner of your home page. The search bar is designed to help you find a specific person, even if you do not know their last name. The search results are based mainly on the information you have included in your profile

Type in your friends name on the search bar. Once you start typing, Facebook will begin to generate results for the most likely query based on your profile information. Facebook is more likely to suggest friends who are from your own country or city, or friends who share the same college or workplace.

Include a relevant detail; If you can not find your friend with just their name, include the name of their city, college, workplace, etc. This may likely narrow down your results

Type in your friend's email address into the search bar. If you know your friend's email address, you can also type it directly in to the search bar. Their profile will appear only if the email address you typed in is the one they have linked with their Facebook account.

Add them. Once you have found the correct profile, click on it and navigate their profile page to the “Add Friend” button toward the top to send a friend request.

If the person is a new or long lost friend, or someone who you haven't seen in a while, it is considered polite to send them a message along with your request. Help them remember who you are, so they do not deny the request by mistake.

Importing your Email Contacts into Facebook

Click on "Find Friends" at the top right of the Facebook tab. The page will refresh and Facebook will generate a list of “People You May Know” based on the information in your profile.

Navigate to the “Add Personal Contacts” box. You will find this box at the right hand side of the screen. This box will show the email address that is currently linked with your account.

Import your email contacts. Follow the directions provided by Facebook to import the email contacts from the email address of your choice. Directions may vary depending on your email service provider, For example, if you use Gmail, you will be required to log in to your Gmail account, click on "Export" within Gmail, and select the contacts you want uploaded to Facebook.

Browse the friend suggestions provided to you by Facebook. Facebook will search for your friends using the email addresses and names that were imported from your email account.

Inviting Friends to Facebook

If you can’t find the person you are looking for by any of the previously mentioned methods, it is possible that they do not have a Facebook account yet. You can take the opportunity to invite them to join you on Facebook.

Click on 'Find Friends' . This button is in the upper right corner of your Facebook tab.

Navigate to the "Invite Your Friends" box. You will find this box at the bottom right-hand side of the page under the “Add Personal Contacts” box. Here you can access a search bar, which allows you to enter phone numbers and email address of people you know who you would like to invite to Facebook.

Type your friend’s number or email into the search box and Facebook will notify them that you have requested their presence on Facebook.

To invite more than one friend at once, insert a comma after each email address or phone number.

If you have not been able to find someone on Facebook, and you do not have their phone number or email, then asking them in person is a great way to connect. Suggest that you would enjoy keeping in touch with them on Facebook.